When people began using a ferry service in Martinez, the Gold Rush was in full swing and the system was the only way to cross the Carquinez Strait.

The city’s ferry service shut down in the early 1960s when the original Benicia Bridge opened, but the idea of bringing a terminal back to town is resurfacing thanks to a push by the Water Transit Authority to develop a Bay Area-wide ferry system.

The City Council this week heard an expert urge a study.

Martinez should consider doing an environmental report that could be funded through the water authority, said Michael Bernick, a transportation and land-use expert who has been working with the Martinez staff on the issue.

“This is a perfect location, and I think it fits in with the history of the downtown,” said Bernick, referring to the waterfront’s close proximity to the city’s commercial core. The ferry was such an integral part of the city that Ferry Street was named after it.

“I think it could have a lot of transit, and to an extent, economic potential,” Bernick said.

The water authority is getting a financial boost for its proposal through money coming from the state Office of Emergency Services, which would trickle down to cities such as Martinez trying to get a ferry terminal. The idea is that the ferry system would be beneficial for disaster preparedness, according to Bernick. He added that the money could become available within the next two years if all goes according to plan.

City Manager Don Blubaugh said the next step would be to look into getting the environmental analysis done if that money becomes available. No routes have been determined, but those discussed include service from Antioch to Martinez to San Francisco or Vallejo to Martinez to San Francisco.

Regardless of the final route, Blubaugh said he wants the Martinez terminal as close to downtown as possible.

“I think it would attract people into downtown, and the more people who come, the more retail we can attract,” Blubaugh said. “It’s not the panacea, it’s not going to turn downtown around, but it would be a significant cog” in Martinez’s overall economic development.

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